About 150 people packed a Jeffco school board candidate debate Sept. 26 at Colorado Christian University in which the four candidates attempted to differentiate themselves but largely avoided suggesting specific changes in the school system.

Marnie Bello knows that her Evergreen gymnastics team needs more consistency on the uneven bars. She knows that the Lady Cougars need to work on staying on the balance beam. But she also knows that her team hasn’t peaked, and she’s fine with that.

The Evergreen Rotary Club’s annual fund-raiser Bright Lights, Rotary Nights will be held Oct. 22 at Evergreen Country Day School.

The casino-themed event, which will be from 6 to 10 p.m., will feature expanded gaming tables, beer and wine, and silent and live auctions. There also will be a raffle for big-ticket items, including a four-night Bahamas cruise; a $1,000 gift certificate at Daniels Diamonds; and a $5,000 cash prize. A live DJ and door prizes will round out the evening.

LITTLETON — It wasn’t the heat so much as it was the sun in his eyes, but even that did little to slow down Jackson Sayler on Sept. 30 at the Dave Sanders Cross Country Invitational.
The Evergreen runner scurried to a second-place finish in the Division 2 boys race in 16 minutes, 39 seconds. Only Evan Fortney of 3A Faith Christian was ahead of him, 10 seconds faster on the Clement Park course.
“It was a good race. I just wasn’t fast enough to get that first guy,” Sayler said.

FOOTBALL
Summit upsets Evergreen, sends Cougars to first defeat
FRISCO — Andrew Ike’s TD pass on fourth down to Tyler Nelson and Thomas DeBonville’s extra point helped Summit upset 10th-ranked Evergreen, 13-12, at the Tigers’ homecoming on Oct. 1.
The loss for the Cougars, who got touchdowns from Noah Ansley and Braden Olson, dropped them to 5-1 overall, 1-1 in the 3A Metro South Conference. Summit improved to 3-3, 1-1.
EHS plays Jefferson at EHS on Oct. 6. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Evergreen High School football boosters have planned activities for the entire family on Saturday, Oct. 22, to kick off homecoming week in an attempt to turn the event into a fall festival.

They hope to foster community spirit by returning the homecoming parade to downtown Evergreen, getting local businesses and groups involved in the parade and other activities, and adding a Homecoming Hound segment to the parade.

MOB Factory has closed its large indoor skate park on Bryant Drive, changed its focus to more retail sales and opened in a Bergen Park building next to the Whippletree.

The business has gone more boutique style, focusing on clothes, art and skateboards, according to Kyle West, the store’s event coordinator and marketing director. Plus, the move to Bergen Park allows MOB Factory to be more visible.

The MOB Factory shares space with JR Landscaping. Both businesses are owned by J.R. Iannaccone.

The Evergreen Lake Trail connection at the dam moved one step closer to reality Sept. 27 after the Evergreen Park and Recreation District board voted unanimously to adopt it as a district project.

"It is not on district land. It is not in our budget. But it would be up to us to submit the grant without putting in any money," said Scott Robson, EPRD executive director, at a regular meeting of the board of directors.

The Jeffco Planning Commission has postponed a hearing on short-term vacation rentals to Oct. 26 instead of Oct. 5, to give it more time to work out the details of a potential zoning regulation that would allow the short-term rentals.

Preliminary draft regulations would give the Board of Adjustment responsibility for granting a "Special Exception" for short-term rentals after passing a review and lengthy application process.